Institutions

Henry Dixon's importance lies in the subject matter of his photographs and the expertise he brought to them. As a commercial photographer the range of his commissions was wide but it is for his London photography that he is best remembered. He is most famous for his photographs of London's threatened buildings in the 1870s and 1880s. His photographs for the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London record a heritage on the verge of destruction as Victorian London re-invented itself. Amongst the subjects recorded were the galleried coaching inns which had existed since the time of Chaucer but were swept away by the coming of the railways. Most ended their days as slum dwellings before being demolished. Only one, the George, now survives.

Dixon brought a technical excellence to all of his photographs as well as an eye for composition. He was a master of the beautiful and permanent carbon process that many photographers avoided for its difficulty. Dixon seemed to thrive on such challenges and even published articles on new technical developments. Defying the London smog, the jostling crowds, the dirt, the dust and the complicated and volatile processes of the camera, Dixon preserved a London in transition.

This gallery presents some of our finest photographs of old London. To discover more, try searching or use the London Picture Map to focus on a location.